Nevin Manimala

Rev Esp Salud Publica. 2021 Dec 2;95:e202112190.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Having certain open data means that this data is accessible and available to everyone, without legal or technical restrictions. The public sector produces a wide variety of information (social, economic, health, statistical) that is attractive, complete and reliable, coming directly from official sources. The aim of this study was to show the open data related to COVID-19 published by the regions of Spain and the Ministry of Health, and compare these data.

METHODS: Each of the open portals was accessed and an observation of the published data was made, analyzing since when they were published and their periodicity in the update. The Tim Berners-Lee tool was used to classify the degree of reuse of the data. Regarding the statistical treatment, a frequency analysis was carried out, to analyze which data are given in a greater number of times.

RESULTS: 15 regions publish open data related to COVID-19, as well as the Ministry of Health. The contents shown in the open data portals varied from one autonomous community to another, but the regions provided data confirmed by PCR. The data collection start date and the updating of the data varied.

CONCLUSIONS: There is an enormous diversity among de regions in terms of the publication of COVID data, in relation to indicators, dates. It shows a great existence of data and in reusable format, but you have to go to many sources to obtain information of the epidemiological situation at a national level.

PMID:34853294

Biol Pharm Bull. 2021;44(12):1898-1901. doi: 10.1248/bpb.b21-00595.

ABSTRACT

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP-2) is an adaptor protein involved in inflammatory and immune responses, such as inflammatory bowel disease and allergic responses. In this study, we investigated the role of STAP-2 in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis. After intravenous injection of concanavalin A (ConA), STAP-2 knock out (KO) mice showed more severe liver necrosis along with substantial lymphocyte infiltration compared to wild type (WT) mice. Serum alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly higher in ConA-injected STAP-2 KO mice than in WT mice. Levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), an important factor for liver necrosis, were also significantly increased in sera of STAP-2 KO mice compared to WT mice after ConA injection. Statistically significant upregulation of Fas ligand (FasL) expression was observed in the livers of ConA-injected STAP-2 KO mice compared to WT mice. In accordance with these results, apoptotic signals were facilitated in STAP-2 KO mice compared to WT mice after ConA injection. Correctively, these results suggest that STAP-2 is involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis by regulating the expression of FasL and the production of IFN-γ.

PMID:34853275 | DOI:10.1248/bpb.b21-00595

J Prosthodont Res. 2021 Nov 30. doi: 10.2186/jpr.JPR_D_21_00067. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The investigation of zirconia core surface pretreatments on the flexural strength of bilayered zirconia ceramics before and after artificial accelerating aging.

METHODS: Ninety bar-shaped specimens were manufactured from Yttria Stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal (Y-TZP) and divided in three groups depending on zirconia surface pretreatment before veneering: layering with liner, pretreatment with silane-containing gas flame (SGF) with the Silano-Pen device and alumina air-abrasion. Half of the veneered specimens in each group (n=15) underwent artificial accelerating aging. A 4-point bending test was performed to determine flexural strength. Three specimens from each group were further analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) before veneering and after fracture (aged and non-aged subgroups).

RESULTS: Alumina air-abrasion was correlated to increased phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic zirconia phase. Qualitative analysis revealed that with the majority of the specimens pretreated with the silane-containing gas flame, areas of the veneering material remained firmly attached to the zirconia core after flexural strength testing. There was no statistically significant difference on the flexural strength among the groups before or after aging. Artificial accelerating aging resulted in statistically significant higher flexural strength of the specimens after aging.

CONCLUSION: SGF pretreatment can be an acceptable and feasible alternative method before the veneering of Y-TZP zirconia as it presented slightly higher bond strength compared with alumina air-abrasion which was associated with higher tetragonal to monoclinic (t→m) phase transformation. Accelerating aging leads to an increase of the mechanical properties under in vitro conditions.

PMID:34853249 | DOI:10.2186/jpr.JPR_D_21_00067

J Toxicol Sci. 2021;46(12):569-587. doi: 10.2131/jts.46.569.

ABSTRACT

The liver plays critical roles to maintain homeostasis of living organisms and is also a major target organ of chemical toxicity. Meanwhile, nuclear receptors (NRs) are known to regulate major liver functions and also as a critical target for hepatotoxic compounds. In this study, we established mammalian one-hybrid assay systems for five rat-derived NRs, namely PXR, PPARα, LXRα, FXR and RXRα, and evaluated a total of 326 compounds for their NR-activating profiles. Then, we assessed the association between their NR-activating profile and hepatotoxic endpoints in repeated-dose toxicity data of male rats from Hazard Evaluation Support System. In the in vitro cell-based assays, 68, 38, 20, 17 and 17 compounds were identified as positives for PXR, PPARα, LXRα, FXR and RXRα, respectively. The association analyses demonstrated that the PXR-positive compounds showed high frequency of endpoints related to liver hypertrophy, such as centrilobular hepatocellular hypertrophy, suggesting that PXR activation is involved in chemical-induced liver hypertrophy in rats. It is intriguing to note that the PXR-positive compounds also showed statistically significant associations with both prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and prolonged prothrombin time, suggesting a possible involvement of PXR in the regulation of blood clotting factors. Collectively, our approach may be useful for discovering new functions of NRs as well as understanding the complex mechanism for hepatotoxicity caused by chemical compounds.

PMID:34853243 | DOI:10.2131/jts.46.569

J Prosthodont Res. 2021 Dec 1. doi: 10.2186/jpr.JPR_D_20_00112. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study systematically reviewed the literature to compare the bond strength of resin composites with that of zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (ZLS) and lithium disilicate (LD).

STUDY SELECTION: This review was structured based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA 2020) statement. This study was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021256900). Studies were searched via PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases without language or publication year limits. In vitro studies that evaluated the bond strength of the resin composites to ZLS and LD were included. The risk of bias in all the included articles was evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using the Review Manager software (version 5.3, Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK).

RESULTS: Of the 90 potentially related articles, the full texts of 16 articles were evaluated after screening. Finally, sevenstudies were included in the qualitative synthesis and meta-analysis. All the studies presented a medium risk of bias. The results showed no significant difference in bond strength between the ZLS and LD groups (P = 0.94, mean difference=0.08, and 95% confidence interval=-1.93 to 2.10). However, a significant difference was found in the subgroup analysis considering different types of aging treatments (P = 0.0008) and different types of bond strength tests (P < 0.00001).

CONCLUSION: The bond strength of resin composites was found to be similar to that of ZLS and LD, but different aging treatments and bond strength tests exhibited varying effects on the bond strength.

PMID:34853237 | DOI:10.2186/jpr.JPR_D_20_00112

Int Heart J. 2021;62(6):1320-1327. doi: 10.1536/ihj.21-309.

ABSTRACT

Data examining the relationship between arterial stiffness and triglyceride (TG) and other cardiovascular risk factors have remained to be sparse.Of the 5,109 patients with any cardiovascular risk factors in the Cardiovascular Prognostic Coupling Study in Japan (the Coupling Registry), the data of 1,534 patients who had no history of cardiovascular disease and were without low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) -lowering therapy (average age 67.9 ± 12.0 years, 55% males) were analyzed. Arterial stiffness was evaluated using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Among the clinical and behavioral cardiovascular risk factors, the significant factors that constituted the CAVI value were smoking, diabetes, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and higher TG. After adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI), only TG (odds ratio [OR] per 1 standard deviation, 1.26 [95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.44]) and diabetes (OR, 1.52 [1.22-1.90]) were found to be associated with a risk of higher CAVI (≥ 9.0). TG (C-statistic, 0.80 [0.78-0.82]; P = 0.040) and diabetes (C-statistic, 0.80 [0.78-0.82]; P = 0.038) significantly improved the discrimination of the risk of a higher CAVI beyond the model that included age, sex, and BMI.TG was associated with a risk of arterial stiffness, and its contribution was slight but almost the same as that of diabetes among patients who had cardiovascular risk without a history of cardiovascular disease and LDL-C-lowering therapy.

PMID:34853225 | DOI:10.1536/ihj.21-309

Int Heart J. 2021;62(6):1297-1304. doi: 10.1536/ihj.21-307.

ABSTRACT

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) frequently induce cardiovascular adverse events, though VEGFR-TKIs contribute to the improvement of the prognosis of patients with malignancies. It is widely accepted that VEGFR-TKIs impair left ventricular systolic functions; however, their effects on diastolic functions remain to be fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of VEGFR-TKIs on left ventricular diastolic functions. This study was designed as a retrospective single-center cohort study in Japan. We assessed 24 cases who received VEGFR-TKI monotherapy (sunitinib, sorafenib, pazopanib, axitinib) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) above 50% during the therapy at the Osaka University Hospital from January 2008 to June 2019. Left ventricular diastolic functions were evaluated by the change in echocardiographic parameters before and after the VEGFR-TKI treatment. Both septal e’ and lateral e’s decreased after treatment (septal e’: before, 6.1 ± 1.8; after, 5.0 ± 1.9; n = 21, P < 0.01; lateral e’: before, 8.7 ± 2.8; after, 6.9 ± 2.3; n = 21, P < 0.01). E/A declined after VEGFR-TKIs administration, though not statistically significantly. In 20 cases with at least one risk factor for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), E/A significantly decreased (0.87 ± 0.34 versus 0.68 ± 0.14; P < 0.05) as well as the septal and lateral e’s. These results suggest that treatment with VEGFR-TKIs impairs left ventricular diastolic functions in patients with preserved LVEF, especially in those with risk factors for HFpEF.

PMID:34853223 | DOI:10.1536/ihj.21-307

Int Heart J. 2021;62(6):1235-1240. doi: 10.1536/ihj.21-328.

ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) including myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke are often diagnosed in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). However, little has been reported regarding the incidence.Patients with AAA were selected from the National Health Insurance system in South Korea between 2009 and 2015. A total of 10,822 participants with a new diagnosis of AAA were included. Propensity score matching by age and sex with patients in whom AAA was not diagnosed was used to select the control group of 32,466 participants. Primary endpoints included the diagnosis of CVD and death. Cox proportional hazard models were used to compare the risk of disease incidence.The incidence of CVD was 16.573 per 1,000 person-years in the AAA group, which was higher than that of the control group’s 9.30 per 1,000 person-years. The incidence of MI (hazard ratio [HR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.479-1.953), stroke (HR, 1.629; 95% CI, 1.443-1.839), and CVD (HR, 1.672; 95% CI, 1.522-1.835) was significantly higher in patients with AAA. Mortality rate was also elevated in the AAA group (HR, 2.544; 95% CI, 2.377-2.722).The incidence of CVD was significantly more frequent in patients with AAA. The AAA group had consistently higher risks regarding CVD and mortality than the control group.

PMID:34853219 | DOI:10.1536/ihj.21-328

J Prosthodont Res. 2021 Dec 2. doi: 10.2186/jpr.JPR_D_21_00044. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To compare the interfacial fracture toughness (IFT) of two MDP-based composite cements and a resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (RMGIC) with third-generation zirconia CAD-CAM restorations using two different airborne-particle abrasion (AB) pressures.

METHODS: Blocks were cut into prisms (n=60), split and sintered to the desired equilateral half prisms. Half-prisms were divided into two groups for AB at 0.5 or 2.5 bar with 50 µm Al₂O₃ particles. Each group was then further divided into 3 subgroups, and half-prisms were bonded to their counterparts with Panavia V5 (V5), Panavia Self Adhesive Cement Plus (SA), or RMGIC Fuji Plus (n=10/group). The IFT was determined using the Notchless Triangular Prism test in a water bath at 36°C after thermocycling (10,000 cycles). Surface roughness and SEM analyses were performed for representative zirconia samples after AB, and composite cements were tested for flexural strength and wettability.

RESULTS: SA (2.5 bar) showed a significantly higher IFT. The 3 other groups with SA and V5 showed no significant difference in their IFT values regardless of the AB pressure (1-way ANOVA). Weibull analysis of SA was higher than V5. All RMGIC samples debonded while thermocycling, and were, therefore, not included in the statistical analysis. Surface roughness increased with increasing AB pressure, and both cements showed similar flexural strength values and good wettability.

CONCLUSION: Contrary to RMGIC, composite cements show high performance with zirconia after AB. Increasing AB pressure enhances the micromechanical retention of composite cement. Future perspectives should include study of the effect of AB pressure on zirconia surface properties.

PMID:34853211 | DOI:10.2186/jpr.JPR_D_21_00044

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Dec 7;118(49):e2113206118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2113206118.

ABSTRACT

Fishes exhibit an astounding diversity of locomotor behaviors from classic swimming with their body and fins to jumping, flying, walking, and burrowing. Fishes that use their body and caudal fin (BCF) during undulatory swimming have been traditionally divided into modes based on the length of the propulsive body wave and the ratio of head:tail oscillation amplitude: anguilliform, subcarangiform, carangiform, and thunniform. This classification was first proposed based on key morphological traits, such as body stiffness and elongation, to group fishes based on their expected swimming mechanics. Here, we present a comparative study of 44 diverse species quantifying the kinematics and morphology of BCF-swimming fishes. Our results reveal that most species we studied share similar oscillation amplitude during steady locomotion that can be modeled using a second-degree order polynomial. The length of the propulsive body wave was shorter for species classified as anguilliform and longer for those classified as thunniform, although substantial variability existed both within and among species. Moreover, there was no decrease in head:tail amplitude from the anguilliform to thunniform mode of locomotion as we expected from the traditional classification. While the expected swimming modes correlated with morphological traits, they did not accurately represent the kinematics of BCF locomotion. These results indicate that even fish species differing as substantially in morphology as tuna and eel exhibit statistically similar two-dimensional midline kinematics and point toward unifying locomotor hydrodynamic mechanisms that can serve as the basis for understanding aquatic locomotion and controlling biomimetic aquatic robots.

PMID:34853171 | DOI:10.1073/pnas.2113206118